Three takeaways from the Browns spoiler win over Steelers

The Cleveland Browns got the chance to play spoiler against a Pittsburgh Steelers team trying to make the playoffs.

The defense dominated, the offense had some high points, and it all led to a 13-6 win for the Cleveland Browns, their fourth of the year.

Here are three takeaways from the win.

1. Even without Garrett breaking the record, he’s making a major impact

Over the past two weeks, Garrett has been right on the verge of breaking the NFL’s single season sack record.

This week, it was clear the Steelers did everything they could to not allow Garrett to get there. They ran the ball at strange times, quarterback Aaron Rodgers forced some bad throws to get rid of the ball early and the offensive line shifted everything towards Garrett.

That forced Pittsburgh into one of their worst offensive games this season. Rodgers threw just 168 yards (58 on the final drive) for a 4.3 yard per attempt average.

Meanwhile, the other defensive end, Alex Wright, was able to have a huge defensive day. He picked up a sack and a big TFL, all while the Steelers were too focused on Garrett.

During the sack, Garrett looped into the inside, and everything shifted his way. That left Wright one-on-one with a matchup he could win, and Rodgers held the ball too long.

Even on the final few plays of the game, Rodgers refused to stay in the pocket. He kept forcing passes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling against Denzel Ward. It was clear they were never on the same page, and it cost them big.

It really felt like the Steelers focused too much on stopping Garret, and it came at a major cost. It's no surprise Cleveland pulled off the upset when an offense is playing like that.

2. The offense starts off hot, but cools quickly

The Browns scored 10 points in the first quarter of the game. They didn’t score again until the final 1:40 of the game, where they got the ball in field goal range.

Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders looked great in the first quarter, hitting fellow rookie Harold Fannin Jr. and struggling wide receiver Jerry Jeudy for some nice gains.

Sanders even found Fannin for an impressive touchdown pass from 28 yards out.

After that though, things cooled off. Fannin left the game with an injury, and Sanders tossed a pair of interceptions. One was a bad read by Sanders, forcing a sky ball to a well-covered Jeudy. The other came off a deflection to a former Ohio-native in Jack Sawyer.

The makeshift offensive line struggled, as well as the weakened running back core without Quinshon Judkins. Every time a big run got free, a penalty flag was there to ruin it.

The Browns will be focusing on the offensive during the offseason, and this game proved to be an audition for who should be here next season. Some players like offensive tackle Cam Robinson showed serious struggles, while Sanders and Jeudy showed they have something left to prove next year.

3. This team showed some fight

For a team that was eliminated from the postseason weeks ago, just looking to play spoiler against a division rival, the Browns showed a whole lot of fight.

The defense especially did everything they could to shut down the Steelers offense. Pittsburgh had multiple opportunities to pull ahead in the final quarter of the game, but couldn’t get it done.

Carson Schwesinger recorded nine tackles with a messed up leg, Devin Bush added nine more tackles and a forced fumble, Mason Graham had one of his best games with six tackles. Even the secondary looked fantastic with Ward, Tyson Campbell, Tre Avery and Grant Delpit all playing impressive games.

The special teams units also played some of their best football this season. Andre Szmyt hit a 50-yard field goal in bad weather, and a clutch one to seal the win. Corey Bojorquez had a 64-yard punt in the clutch. The punt team made some great plays too, limiting the return game for one of the first times this season.

It’s a shame fans haven’t got the chance to see this kind of fight earlier in the year. This is a great look for next year, and should serve as some proof that Kevin Stefanski may not be losing his job just yet.